Hank Crook

Contributor through July 2011

Hank Crook was the producer for "KPBS Midday Edition" as well as Friday's "Roundtable on KPBS Midday Edition" and KPBS TV's "San Diego Week" until 2011. He produced shows about a wide variety of topics. Some of Hank’s favorite topics include: local politics, economics, the environment and anything sports-related.

Hank graduated with a degree in journalism from San Diego State University, and has been a professional journalist in San Diego since 2003. As an SDSU student, Hank served as an intern for the KPBS Radio newsroom. Hank grew up in San Diego, and is an alumnus of Point Loma High School.

When Hank is not at work, he likes to exercise, listen to music, hang out with friends and manage his fantasy sports teams.

San Diego is short nearly 290,000 trees according to U.S. Forest Service recommendations. We speak to a man who's working to improve our urban forest about the benefits of having an abundant tree population. Plus, we'll discuss the main challenges to planting more trees in San Diego.

What were the early years of HIV/AIDS like in San Diego? How has our view of HIV/AIDS changed over the last 30 years, and what are the greatest current challenges to preventing the spread of the deadly disease? We speak to KPBS Health Reporter Kenny Goldberg about his three-part series on the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

The Padres are as hot as local temperatures right now, but will their winning ways last through the summer? We speak to Sports Columnist Jay Paris about the Padres recent success, the NFL Lockout, and how the Aztecs football team is shaping up for next season.

Is the local housing market showing signs of a rebound, or can we expect more home price declines in the next few months? We discuss the latest local real estate numbers, and look ahead to what the rest of the year might hold for the San Diego market.

Why are today's teenagers and young adults more arrogant and conceited than previous generations? We speak to SDSU psychology professor Jean Twenge about her new study that looked at how self-perception among young people has changed over the last 45 years.

Governor Jerry Brown appears ready to sign a majority-vote budget crafted by state Democrats, thus ending his efforts to broker a bipartisan deal in the legislature. We speak to KQED's Sacramento Bureau Chief John Myers about the key elements of the budget plan, and the impact it could have throughout California.

Today, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors is meeting to discuss potential changes to the boundaries of its legislative districts. Every 10 years, redistricting happens in the county and throughout the state. We speak to an attorney from the ACLU and a community member from southeast San Diego who are both concerned about the way the county draws its district maps.

The tragic mauling of a 75-year-old Paradise Hills woman re-ignited a local debate about dog ownership regulations. Emako Mendoza was attacked in her yard by two pit bulls over the weekend, and suffered severe injuries. Doctors had to amputate one of Mendoza's legs, and may need to amputate her other leg and an arm. We discuss what can be done to prevent dog attacks.